Spectacle cases



June 14, 1955 c. A. BARATELLI SPECTACLE CASES Filed April 1, 1953 loy ATTORNEY 2,710,685 Patented June 14, 1955 SPECTACLE CASES Charles A. Baratelli, Southbridge, Mass., assigner to American Optical Company, Southbridge, Mass., a voluntary association of Massachusetts Application April 1, 1953, Serial No. 346,085

3 Claims. (Cl. 206-5) This invention relates to improvements in spectacle cases and has particular reference to novel spectacle cases having reinforcing liners and method of making the same.

One of the principal objects of this invention is to provide a novel spectacle case and method of making the same having a main pocket portion defined by spaced front and rear walls of flexible material joined with each other along the ends and bottom thereof, one of said walls having a portion extending outwardly to define a flap which may be folded over the other wall and secured thereto by attachment means, and a liner formed of a single piece of relatively rigid material folded upon itself and shaped to snugly fit within the main pocket portion for reinforcement thereof.

Another object is to provide a case of the above character and method of making the same wherein the liner member is initially formed to a specific predetermined contour shape and size by blanking from a single flat piece of material and folded upon itself to form a front wall and a rear wall, with the ends of one of said walls being folded to form end portions for enclosing a maior portion of the ends of the liner member.

Another object is to provide a case of the above character with spacer means attached to one of the walls of the liner member for spacing the walls a predetermined distance apart whereby the liner member will cause the main pocket portion of the device to assume an open pouch-like shape.

.Another object is to provide a case of the above character wherein the attachment means embodies a snap fastener arrangement embodying a male portion carried by the front wall of the main pocket and a female portion carried by the flap, with the male portion being positioned in alignment with rigid spacer means carried by the liner whereby pressure applied when connecting the portions of the fastener together will be borne by the spacer means rather than by spectacles carried within thev case.

OtherA objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. l is a front elevational view of a spectacle case embodying the invention;

Fig. 2 is a horizontal sectional view of the main pocket portion of the device taken substantially on line 2,-2 of Fig. l looking in the direction indicated by the arrows;

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of a liner used with the presently described spectacle case;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged plan view of the blank of material which defines the liner shown in Fig. 3; and

Fig. 5 is an enlarged vertical sectional view taken substantially on line 5--5 of Fig. l looking in the direction indicated by the arrows.

Referring more particularly to the drawing wherein like characters of reference designate like parts throughout the several views, the case embodying the invention comprises a main pocket portion 10 formed of flexible sheet material such as leather or the like.

The main pocket portion 10 comprises a front panel 11 and a rear panel 12 which are stitched, cemented or otherwise relatively securely attached together along their bottom and side edges as indicated by numeral 13. The rear panel 12 is formed with an integral flap portion L; which is adapted to be brought into overlying relation with the outer surface of the front panel 11.

lt is particularly pointed out that the opposed edges of the panels 11 and 12 have identical contour shapes, and although in front elevation the lower corners are illustrated as being rounded as indicated at 15 they may be squared or angularly cut as desired.

The flap portion 14 is preferably provided at its end with a rounded projecting tonguelike portion 16 which is provided, preferably when the panel 12 is initially blanked out, with an opening 17 therethrough (Fig. 5). The female portion 13 of a snap fastener is secured in the opening 17 and is adapted to mate with a male portion 19 which is secured within an opening 20 formed in the front panel 11. Thus the flap portion 14 can be easily detachably secured to the front panel 11 to cover and thus aid in protecting spectacles or other articles carried by the device.

A liner 21 is provided for insertion within the main pocket portion 1' for reinforcement thereof, for shaping the main pocket portion 1G as desired, and for protection of the articles carried thereby during normal usage of the device. The liner 21 is initially blanked out of a substantially flat piece of relatively rigid material such as heavy paper, iberboard, plastic or metal to the contour shape shown in Fig. 4. The blanked out liner 21 comprises a back portion 22, an intermediate or bottom portion 23, and a front portion 24. The back portion 22 is adapted to be located in a substantially right angular relation with the intermediate portion 23 by folding or bending upwardly along a scored line 2S. The front portion 24 is similarly bent upwardly with respect to-the intermediate portion 23 along a scored line 26. Thus there is formed a cupped member of which the inter mediate portion 23 becomes the bottom.

The liner 21 is placed within the main pocket portion 10 between the front and back panels 11--12 as shown in Fig. 5. The front portion 24 of the liner 21 is ofva controlled vertical dimension whereby the upperedge thereof will be substantially aligned with the upper edge of the front panel 11 while the back portion 22 extends upwardly somewhat higher on the inner surface of the back panel 12.

The liner 21 is adapted to fit relatively'snuglyand intimately within the main pocket portion and thus" the length of the rear portion 22 thereof is preferablyofla controlled length substantially equal to or only slightly less than the inside dimension of the main pocket portion 1b. The front portion 24, however, is of a length somewhat greater than the rear portion 22 and is scored vertically along lines 27 adjacent each end slightly outwardly of the ends of the intermediate or bottom portion 23 so that the end portions 28 thereof may be bentA rearwardly toward the back portion 22 along the scored lines 27. Thus, the end portions 28, when the liner 21 is in assembled relation with the main pocket portion 10, are dellccted or bent rearwardly into engagement with the rear portion 22 due to pressure thereupon by the n.) 21 may be inserted in pocket portions 1t? which have rounded, squared or angularly cut corners.

To properly space the front and rear portions 24--22 apart and to simultaneously aid in shaping the main pocket portion 10 as desired, a block or spacer 31 is mounted substantially centrally of the device and is fastened as by a staple 32, or other suitable means, to one of the portions of the liner 21, preferably the rear portion 22 as illustrated in Fig. 5. The spacer 31 is formed of rigid material such as a block of wood, plastic or metal and is held in position by the staple directly in alignment with the male portion 19 of the snap fastener. Thus, when the female portion 1S of the fastener' is forcibly pressed onto the male portion 19, the pressure will be absorbed by the spacer 3i.

When the liner 21 is assembled with a closely interttng main pocket portion 10 as described above, the rear panel 12 will assume a very slightly forwardly curving and neat appearing shape throughout, while the front panel 11 will assume a similar slight rearward curve except in the end arcas where the end portions 28 of the liner bend rearwardly. Thus, the panel 11 will consequently bend more sharply rearwardly in these areas.

The end portions 23 will, due to the inherent rigidity of the material thereof, tend to remain at; that is, in

the plane of the major portion of the front portion 24. Therefore, when inserting the liner 21 in a main pocket portion 10 which is relatively long the end portions 28 will tend to bend less toward the rear portion 22 than is the case when inserting the liner in a relatively short Il main pocket portion 1' wherein the end portions 28 would bend sharply rearwardly toward the rear portion 22. Thus, thc end portions 28 will be located at an angle in accordance with the length of the interior of the main pocket portion 10.

It is to be understood that the outer or exposed portions of the case, that is, the main pocket portion and flap portion, may be formed of leather, flexible plastics, woven fabrics or other suitable material and may be of a relatively expensive nature due, perhaps, to the additions of monograms` embossrnents or other treatment not forming a part of this invention. However, the liner is preferably formed, as described above, of relatively inexpensive material such as heavy paper. Thus, the liner may be readily expendable and, since it is easily removable from the pocket portion of the case, may be easily interchanged.

Thus, there is provided, in accordance with the objects and advantages of the invention, a neat, compact, and

attractive case which is simple, efcient and economical to make.

It Will be apparent, however, that changes may be made in the details of construction and arrangement of the parts of the device shown and described, as well as inthe method of forming such a device, without depart- 7 ing from the spirit of the invention as expressed in the accompanying claims. Therefore, it is to be understood that all matter set forth or shown in the accompanying drawings is to be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

I claim:

1. A spectacle case of the character described comprising a main pocket portion defined by a pair of walls of fiexible material joined together in superimposed relationby connecting means along the bottom and side edges thereof, a flap portion formed integral with one of said walls and adapted to overlie the other of said walls, a removable liner of relatively rigid material dimensioned to relatively intimately t within said main pocket portion between said walls, said liner comprising a rst portion of a controlled length for overlying the inner surface of one of said Walls, a second portion of a length slightly longer than said rst portion for overlying the inner surface of the other of said walls, and an intermediate portion formed integral with said first and second portions and defining the bottom of the liner, and end portions formed on the ends of the longer of said portions and extending angularly toward the other of said portions for at least partially enclosing the ends of said liner, spacer means of a relatively rigid nature carried by one of said first and second portions substantially centrally thereof and functioning to space said portions a controlled distance apart, and attachment means carried by said flap portion andthe wall which said fiap portion is adapted to overlie for enclosing the top of the case when said attachment means are secured together.

2. A spectacle case of the character described cornprising a main pocket portion defined by a front Wall and a rear wall of flexible material joined together in superimposed relation by connecting means along the bottom and side edges thereof, a flap portion formed integral with said rear wall and adapted to overlie said front wall, a removable liner of relatively rigid material dimensioned to relatively intimately tit within said main pocket portion between said walls, said liner comprising a rear portion of a controlled length for overlying the inner surface of said rear wall, a front portion of a length slightly greater than said rear portion for overlying the inner surface of said front wall, and an intermediate portion formed integral with said front and rear portions and defining the bottom of the liner, and end portions formed on the ends of said front portion and extending toward said rear portion at an angle in accordance with the length of the interior of said main pocket portion for at least partially enclosing the ends of said liner, spacer means of a relatively rigid nature carried by one of said rst and second portions substantially centrally thereof and functioning to space said portions a controlled distance apart, an attachment portion carried by said ap portion, and a cooperating attachment portion carried by said front wall in alignment with said spacing means, said iiap portion enclosing the top of the case when said attachment means are secured together.

3. A spectacle case of the character described comprising a main pocket portion dened by front and rear walls of tiexible material joined together along the bottom and side edges thereof, a flap portion on one of said walls and adapted to overlie the other of said walls, a liner of relatively rigid material dimensioned to relatively intimately t within said main pocket portion between said walls, said liner comprising front and rear portions for overlying the inner surface of the front and rear Walls of said pocket portion, and an intermediate portion formed integral with said front and rear portions and dening the bottom of the liner, said liner further including a pair of end portions each of which is formed integrally with one of said mentioned portions of the liner and is bent to extend into the space between the front and rear portion thereof for at least partially enclosing the ends of said liner, spacer means of a relatively rigid nature carried by one of said portions substantially centrally thereof and functioning to space said front and rear portions of the liner a controlled distance apart, and attachment means carried by said flap portion and the wall of the pocket portion which said iiap portion 1s r adapted to overlie by means of which said ap portion may be detachably secured to said wall.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNlTED STATES PATENTS 2,427,043 Brown Sept. 9, 1947 

